Just got back from a trip to San Francisco and the Bay Area in general. Had a FANTASTIC time, which will take far more time to describe than I have right now.
Shout outs to all the people that conspired with my schedule and I was able to see again!
BT, NG, PC, AL, Ps de BT, BD, FG
And to those that I look forward to seeing on my next trip–
CL, JR
The first vestiges of fall swiped its paw at me last week. I came back from Asia wearing shorts and Chacos, then suddenly found myself shivering as the cold swirled around my exposed legs last Friday. Now I’m zipped up in my favorite fleece.
I love falling into fall. The hardwood floor that’s a just little cold to the touch when I slide off the bed. The draft of cold air that slides past when I first open up the door of my cozy bedroom. The leaves that are turning yellow between my bus stop to my office. Walking around in the cold and feeling my body curl itself just a little bit tighter to keep warm, especially in the spots you hate to admit are feeling a little loose.
I feel light and airy, it makes me happy.
Chalk up another one on the board of Life Experiences™.
I just got back from a short trip to Hong Kong and Seoul, respectively. I was invited to be a presenter at Tech Ed Hong Kong after being a presenter earlier this summer at Tech Ed Orlando, where my presentation scores were apparently high enough to score an invite. On the way back, I decided to stop over in Seoul. Korea was never really on my list of destinations, but Dave will be there for the next two months living there and practicing his language skills. Never one to turn down hanging out with people living aboard, I took advantage of some cheap airfare and hopped up north before my return. As luck would have it, Suk-Hyun, Dave’s girlfriend, is also in Seoul right now, and offered to put me up in her home. I love getting the local flair, so I graciously accepted.
Beyond meeting Suk-Hyun’s friends from college, eating tons of good food (see photos), and copious amounts of alcohol, I can also honestly say that I’ve been nibbled on by fish.
Dave came across an article on the Internets about these fish from China (yay China!) that feed on dead skin cells. They’re using them in spas as a way to “rejuvenate” the skin. After China, Dave and I don’t turn down a good experience at the spa and to be honest, we were totally fascinated. Suk-Hyun did some research for us and we went to Termeden with her mom and family friend. They call it “Doctor Fish” (it’s really fun if you say it with a Chinglish twang) and it costs an extra 5 bucks to get in.
You hop in the pool and you wait. After a couple minutes, a few fish start gathering at your feet and literally start nibbling at them. And if you don’t move, more and more will come.
So those of you who’ve known me for awhile know that I’m extremely ticklish. Just imagine how badly I’m squirming and whimpering with tens of little mouths, who’s scrape of miniature teeth you can feel against your skin, are nibbling at your feet. It was like being an 11-year old girl, it was bad. After about ten minutes of this, I finally calmed down enough to sit still (Marcie, you would be proud!) and eventually probably had 100+ fish, mainly concentrated on my feet, nibbling away.
Here’s the Korean article:
http://weekly.hankooki.com/lpage/culture/200701/wk2007011015090737990.htm
 |
| Hong Kong and Korea |